Sociology / Unit 4 Soc 0459 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Rationalization
Captions available
The idea
Rationalization, Weber's term, is the historical replacement of tradition and personal judgment by calculation, rules, and efficiency as the basis of action.
In practice
A guild master's judgment about a fair price gives way to a posted rate and a procedure.
Where people slip
The everyday sense of "rationalization" as making excuses is not this meaning, and rationalized does not mean society becomes more reasonable.
Your place on the trail
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